Designing a concert hall can provide a very interesting
set of challenges to the architects! Firstly as ever there is a problem of
space; building land in setting is is usually in very short supply and not
always in the place where we would wish it to be. Secondly, we live in an
era of increasingly expensive energy and a large public building like a
concert hall can require an enormous sums to keep it heated and properly
lit. Acoustics have to be considered one of the most important factors;
there is little point in inviting the world's top singers and musicians to
perform at a venue in which the sounds they created were deadened or
distorted. Finally, large public buildings have to be extremely versatile;
usage can differ dramatically over time, and an efficient design should
allow the use of the building to change to suit the requirements.

The architectural company Urban Future Organisation
solved many of these problems in a novel way; they designed the building
to not only go into the ground but also underneath it! As a consequence
surrounding buildings were able to be left relatively unaffected and the
use of divisive walls or barriers was minimised; acoustic problems were
greatly reduced since birth is of course a wonderfully inert insulant; and
is creative above the subterranean areas which provided not only a
landscaped area which blended perfectly into the park that the hall was
set within; but also an efficient open area which allowed free flow of
pedestrian traffic.

The original design in 1999 won major awards and the
innovations incorporated into the new improved design are expected to be
utilised in numerous other projects in the future.

In this way a very rundown part of a city which in the
not too distant past was synonymous with terror and tragedy is being
upgraded with a facility which will be of benefit to the whole population,
creating a green and pleasant park in the centre of an urban landscape.